


love, actually, is all around

by dykenance



Series: byeler holiday bash [1]
Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - College/University, Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Fluff, Holidays, M/M, coffee shop AU, mike is stupidly flirty, this is cheesy and romantic please enjoy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-16
Updated: 2019-12-16
Packaged: 2021-02-25 23:46:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,991
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21823873
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dykenance/pseuds/dykenance
Summary: will byers is stuck waiting for an available flight to go home on christmas eve. fortunately, he happens upon a cafe with a ridiculously cute barista.ie, a night of missing family, finding love, and hating asshole dads. what more could you ask for?
Relationships: Will Byers/Mike Wheeler
Series: byeler holiday bash [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1572577
Comments: 14
Kudos: 104





	love, actually, is all around

Will kicks his feet as he trudges down a city street, bundled up in a parka and an extra long scarf that he’d attempted to knit himself years ago. His therapist at the time suggested he find a creative hobby to keep him busy during the dreary winter, and that sentiment turned into him churning out hats and scarves like nobody’s business. His mother, bless her heart, loved the matching set he made for her, even though threads poked out around her ears and the bottom of the scarf unraveled the first time she put it on. She had kissed his cheeks about a billion times and worn them every day (and year) following.

He misses her like crazy.

_ City sidewalks, busy sidewalks, dressed in holiday style; in the air there’s a feeling of Christmas. _

_ That’s for sure _ . He hums to himself, breathing in the crisp winter air that bludgeons his face. He stares up at the lights decorating streetlights and telephone poles. At least the city tried to make it cozy; but he longs to be home, decking the table with his brother and blasting cheesy music with his mom in the kitchen.

All of the streets he hikes are empty. It’s weird to populate a city by yourself, to exist alone on a night where families are gathered in prayer or laughing around a table, he thinks. It really kinda  _ sucks  _ to be alone.

He happens upon a sweet little cafe, population zero--well, except for the cutie cleaning up the dining room. The guy seems to be about Will’s age, and tall, with soft dark curls bouncing against his forehead as he hums to an upbeat Christmas song.

Will doesn’t mean to stare, but, well--he’s distracted. He hangs back in the door, making a desperate choice between leaving the guy alone to close and trying to talk to him. Or maybe he could just get something to help his freezing fingers.

_ Yeah, that’s all _ .

“In or out, kiddo?” the guy calls out, glancing up briefly from a coffee-stained table. And, god, he has the warmest, most stupidly charming brown eyes Will has ever seen.

“I--uh,” Will steps forward and lets the door shut behind him, then follows up intelligently with, “I’m eighteen, dude. Officially not a kid.”

Cute Guy stands up and stretches his back, then leans casually against his chair. “Aw, I guess I was thrown off by your height. Sorry.”

Will’s eyes blow wide, but he winds up smiling, a stupid blush visiting his cheeks. “Wow, your customer service is great.” The guy throws such a smiley look his way that he drops his defense. “Well, listen, I don’t wanna be  _ that guy _ since you’re closing. It was nice meeting you, uh--”

“Mike,” he offers. “And it’s okay, I’d appreciate the company.”

Well, isn’t that the warm and fuzzy Christmas spirit? “Cool, uh, I can just hang out in here I guess. You don’t have to make anything.”

“Nonsense! What’s your order?” Mike drags his cleaning supplies behind the counter and leans himself up against the register, elbows on the counter.

Will takes a moment to scan the vast menu. “Uhh, large peppermint mocha latte with whipped cream, please?”

“Festive.” Mike’s eyebrows do a little dance as he punches the order in, long fingers tapping along the screen. Some of his nails are painted a spotty, sparkly dark green. “1.96, please.”

As Will digs through his pockets for change, he stares up at the menu, then back at Mike. “The--isn’t it, like, almost 3--?”

“If you’re willing to claim you’re a senior citizen, I’m willing to give you a discount.”

Will laughs a bit at that, laying the cash onto Mike’s open palm. “First I’m a child, now I have AARP? Make up your mind.”

“Dunno, I guess you’re quite the conundrum,” Mike chuckles. “Could I have a name for the order?”

“There’s no one else in here?”

The corner of Mike’s lips quirk up, and it’s, like, the hottest thing Will’s seen in a while. But who’s counting. “Could I have it anyway? For the system.”

And like, yeah, maybe Will’s stomach has about a million butterflies screwing up his insides, but he manages to sorta smirk back. “Will.”

“Aha! One less mystery.” Mike hands him a receipt and snags a cup from under the counter. “So, is there a reason you’re here on Christmas Eve? No family?”

Will leans himself against the counter, facing the front window, eyes stuck on the Christmas tree in the center square of town. He smiles wistfully. “No, I have a family. But my flight was delayed. Major winter storms ahead, or something stupid like that.”

“Oh, that’s a shame. I’m sorry to hear that.” Whirring sounds out from the espresso machine between them. Behind him, Mike is waiting while the milk is heated. “Are your folks cool?”

“It’s my mom and my brother,” Will says quietly, closing his eyes tightly to prevent any tears. Right now, they’re probably starting dinner, and even though his mother’s cooking has never been the  _ best, _ it’ll be amazing, because Christmas Eve was always special for them. Always. “But, yeah, I love them. Miss them a lot.”

Will hears pouring behind him as the machine slows down. “That’s great, man. Do you know when your flight is?”

“3:30 in the morning.”

“Ah, shit, you have a while to go, huh?” Will nods quietly. “I’ll keep you great company.”

Will smiles to himself. “And how come you’re stuck here? Don’t most places close early?”

“One would think,” Mike says snarkily, but there’s a smile caught in his voice. “Nah, they wanted to stay open ‘just in case,’ and I guess I didn’t really mind the idea of being here. I’m not going home.” He clears his throat. “However, it’s been incredibly lonely, at least ‘till you showed up. So, thanks William. And order up.”

Will furrows his brow a bit, but still smiles as he slides his drink across the counter and lets the scent burrow into his nose. A sweet mint with gentle hints of chocolate. His name written with a poorly drawn Santa hat next to it. The smile turns into a full-blown grin.

“Thanks.”

“I even gave you extra cream.” Mike presses his lips together. “Whipped—whipped cream.”

“Nice one,” Will chuckles, moving to take a seat at one of the tables seated close to the counter. 

Mike wrinkles his nose at him teasingly, then grabs his rag and mop. “Alright, I’ll sit with you in a minute, but I want to finish this shit up.”

Will gestures greatly with his hand. “By all means.”

As Mike speed-cleans to the best of his ability, Will takes small sips of his drink, humming softly when he tastes it for the first time. Will tucks his feet up and under his knees and scrolls on his phone until his attention is pulled in the direction of Mike, gasping, arm thrown out wildly to his side.

“Oh, my god, this is  _ iconic _ .” He pulls the mop back in and tilts it up as a microphone, exaggerating the beginning, “ _ I… don’t want a lot for Christmas _ ,” he dips himself back, scrunching his eyes shut,  _ “there is just one thing I need _ .” Will giggles as he continues, slightly off-key but endearing, loud and excited. “ _ I don’t care about the presents, underneath the Christmas tree! I just want you for my own _ ,” he sucks in a breath dramatically, and Will may or may not have his phone tucked between his knees, recording, “more _ than you could ever know. Make my wish come trueee, all I want for Christmas, iiiiiiiiiiis… you _ !” He points the end of his ‘mic’ at Will, and Will’s cheeks are burning a cherry red, but he pulls his phone up and shakes it tauntingly. “William!” The boy snatches forward, tripping over his own feet, but Will saves it before he can do anything, shrieking with laughter. “How very un-chill of you! That was a private serenade.”

“I won’t share it, I promise,” Will says, leaning back against his chair, putting on pouty eyes to the best of his ability while he gets over his giggles (especially hard with Mike so close, trying to snatch the phone from his hands). “Aw, c’mon, Mikey. Let me have it to remember you by.”

And, to Will’s surprise, Mike pulls back, narrowing his eyes, a small smile trapped in his cheeks. “Fine, fine, but no sharing it. I’m trusting you right now. I’m serious, Will,” he says, but he’s forcing back a laugh. “Don’t you dare.”

“Promise.”

“Good.” And he meets Will’s eye with a heart-melting smile before he continues to hum along rather obnoxiously.

It’s weird to him how easily he banters with Mike, how normal it feels to show this stranger his actual self. It’s like, somehow, a secret pull in the world led him to the guy’s doorstep on Christmas Eve, the softest holiday of them all, so that he could feel at home away from home. 

Or something like that.

Once the song is over, Mike pushes his way through the counter doors, and he disappears to the back for a minute with the cleaning supplies. When he comes back, he throws off his apron, and then pulls up a chair across the table from Will.

And then he’s right in front of Will, staring at him with a stupid goofy grin, messy curls falling in his eyes, and jesus, he has  _ freckles _ . 

Mike leans forward on his forearms, grinning wildly under the soft cafe lamplight, and  _ fuck _ he’s pretty. “The video not enough? You can take a picture too, since, you know, it’ll last longer.”

Will swats at the boy’s hand, stifling an embarrassed smile. “Shut up.”

Mike beams, smiling with his eyes, and he takes a sip of his own drink. “So, William, don’t you have any friends in town? Someone more exciting than yours truly?”

“I don’t think I’ve met anyone more  _ exciting _ than--” Will stops himself, because Mike looks far too entertained; his eyebrows shoot up and he rests his chin on the flat of his palm. “Uh, everyone went home.”

“Hm.” Mike is  _ way  _ too pleased with himself, somehow still grinning behind the drink lid. “And no special friend going home with you to meet the family?”

Will rolls his eyes. “No, um, last year I had a stupid little high school boyfriend, but he—” Will gnaws at his lip, looking away from Mike. The boy tries to catch his eye with a sympathetic look, but he can’t meet it. “He left our little Christmas party early, and well, I found out around New Years that he—well, new year, new man, I guess.”

Mike’s eyes widen. “He cheated on you?” Will nods. “Oh, I could kick his ass. That’s so shitty. And during the holidays?” He shakes his head. “Fuck that guy.”

“Yeah, but it’s—it’s pretty stupid, I guess, that I haven’t dated much since. It happens to a lot of people.” Will fidgets with his fingers in his lap, linking them together and twisting and tapping.

“Hey, it’s not stupid,” Mike says firmly, finally bringing Will’s gaze up. “That’s super fucking shitty on his part. But hey, the single life can be great! Lonely, sometimes, but it’s nice to know that you can live with yourself, you know?” He chuckles shortly and looks down. “Maybe that’s stupid.”

“No, I get what you mean.” Will smiles softly. “It is good. But yeah, lonely.”

“So lonely!”

Will chuckles, and Mike joins him, and then a comfortable silence settles around them. Briefly. “I guess, I guess just—even though I’m ready to move on, it feels hopeless. I can’t seem to find love anywhere.”

“It’s not hopeless, Will!” Mike exclaims, and Will unabashedly gazes at him, smiling at him with a raised eyebrow. “Why, I think, love actually is all around.” He meets Will’s gaze, gorgeous dark eyes sparkling under the gentle lights with childlike energy. After a moment, he throws his hands up and gestures toward the window. “Like, look outside. It’s amazingly festive out there. And people all across the city aren’t even here, because they’re with their families. But it’s still beautiful! And they’re beautiful! That’s love, right?”

Will nods, shrugs. “Yeah, I suppose.”

“And losers like us find each other all the time, and then we’re not so alone on Christmas Eve. Like, the universe has to be showing us love, right?” He says it so eagerly, looks at Will so hopefully, that if he were a much bolder person, he would kiss this handsome stranger. He would grab his cheeks and kiss him hard and hold on tight.

With too dopey of a smile to control, Will says, “I guess so.”

Mike shrugs. “I know you’re on board with this now, Will, you can’t fool me with your aloofness.”

“I can certainly try.”

Mike gasps, fake offended, and then Will is giggling and Mike joins him.

“So, what about you?”

“Huh?”

Will takes a sip of his drink and cups it in his hands. “Your family? Not going home?”

“Ah,” Mike smiles painfully down at the table. “My sister won’t be home, I don’t even know what’s going on with my mom, and I’m not going home to just my dad. No can do.”

“Your mom left?”

“No, well…” he glances around thoughtfully. “She isn’t living with him now that me and Nance are gone, which is good, but I think she’s having a rough time figuring out where to go, and…” he shakes his head. “I don’t know. I think she’s safe right now, probably with my Nana, but I don’t know.”

Will’s heart hangs heavy in his chest, and he’s smacked with the realization as to why Mike was so gung-ho about the love thing. “That has to be really hard, Mike. I hope she’s okay.”

“Me too.”

“And your dad?”

Mike smiles. “An asshole.”

“Hey, mine too!”

Mike snickers into his drink. “Funny how that works, isn’t it?”

“Truly. Dads suck.” He chuckles under his breath. “But uh, how will you be spending Christmas?”

“Awh, are you concerned for me, William?”

Will squints. “I think that’s a generally polite question.”

“Mhm,” Mike purses his lips, “I’ll be hanging out with my roommate and some dorky Christmas movies, I think. Maybe go out and fall in love later in the day, get fucked up in the evening. Who knows?”

Will rolls his eyes. “Well, have fun.”

And for a while, it feels okay to be lonely with each other, sipping at festive drinks and giggling over stupid shared family problems, alone in their own cozy little world on Christmas Eve.

As the night winds down to a close, Will clears his throat. “Uh, hey, I have to get going. Make sure I’m at the airport on time.”

Mike glances at his watch, and Will thinks about how cute it is that he has a watch (and then how dumb that thought is) and with a quiet, “Shit,” Mike goes to turn on their ‘closed’ sign.

“Do you need a ride, or anything?” Mike seems a lot more nervous now, scratching the back of his neck and furrowing his brows at Will.

Will smiles at him teasingly. “I don’t take rides from strangers, thank you.”

“Fair enough. You’re a smart kid.”

“I’ve made it this far.”

They stand there for a moment, a bit more awkward than before, trying to anticipate each other’s next moves.

“Uh, hey,” Will says finally, digging something from his pockets. “Give me your hand.”

“In marriage?”

“Haha, nice try,” Will makes a ‘c’mere’ motion with his hands, and Mike sticks his arm out. Will scribbles his number down on his pale forearm. “Text me if you want the video.”

“Awh, that’s cute. He’s never heard of phone contacts,” Mike coos to an imaginary audience.

“Shut up,” Will grins, shoving the marker back in his pocket with a blush. “Now you won’t forget.”

“Oh, I promise, I will never forget you, Willy.”

Will wrinkles up his face and laughs. “Don’t  _ ever  _ call me that again.” He’s all too aware of the fact that he’s still clinging to Mike’s wrist with a few fingers, buzzing at the touch. “Bye, Mike. Merry Christmas.”

“Merry Christmas, Will.” Mike doesn’t move, and Will is stuck in his spot, gazing up at the boy, who smiles bashfully down at him. Then, Mike leans down into a dramatic bow and just barely ghosts his lips against Will’s knuckles. “Thanks for spending time with me, kind sir. And make sure you report me for the awful customer service.”

Will is stunned, and he wants to kiss this boy so  _ badly.  _

He doesn’t.

He manages to move his jelly legs after a second, clicking his suitcase and pushing through the door, the bell sounding out through the somber restaurant. And then he’s laughing, waving goodbye, with an embarrassingly giddy, “Sure thing,” and he makes his way down the sidewalk, his face burning in the brutal breeze.

After he has boarded the plane, settled in his seat, answered his mother’s 100-plus texts about how everything is going and _be safe_ ’s and _I love you_ ’s, and queued up a movie to watch (or perhaps fall asleep to) on the way home, he feels his phone vibrate in his pocket.

**Unknown: [ hey, u dont have to send me the video. But keep it to remember me ;) and lmk when u get back ]**

**Me: [ jan. 10th. And i hate u :p ]**

**Mikey: [ do u happen to be free on january 10th? Or the 11th, if that works better? I’d like to prove u wrong some more, if i may ]**

Will grins down at the light of his phone, and he lets his head fall back against the seat, burying his face in his hands.

**Me: [ i’ll see u on the 10th. Nerd. ]**

**Mikey: [ :D ]**

**Author's Note:**

> hi!! i hope you enjoyed. if you did and you have tumblr, you can also reblog my post on @lesbian-hopper. thank you so much for reading!! and happy holidays <3


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